Tape sealer



1945- .1. OFTEDAHL ET AL ,3

TAPE SEALER Filed Aug. 27, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l fnverzzifa' @7177. 0 edw and Evens J Q/Zedakl Jan. 30, 1945. J. OFTEDAHL ET AL TAPE SEALER Filed Aug. 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jEzvezzTar and Patented Jan. 30, 1945 TAPE SEALER John Oftedahl and Everett J. Oi'tedahl, Forest Park, Ill.

Application August 27, 1943, Serial No. 500,254 Claims. (01. 7616-33) This invention relates to a device used mainly for sealing cartons and similar packages by means of adhesive paper tape and for similar purposes.

The main objects of the invention areto provide a tape sealing device of the character indicated, by means of which a carton or the like may be quickly and easily sealed withv adhesive tape; to provide such a device which is of light weight, well balanced, and easy to manipulate, and which is portable; to provide such a device which may be manufactured economically and at low cost, and the use of which will'result in substantial savings in respect of time required for sealing the package or performing a like operation and in respect of the amount of tape required per package.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are to provide, in a device of the character described, means for automatically wetting the adhesive tape as a part of the operation of applying the tape to the package; to provide means for effectively controlling the amount of water applied to the tape; to provide an arrangement whereby the danger of spilling water from the device is substantially overcome; to provide an arrangement for effectively pressing the tape against the surfaces on which it is applied so as to squeeze out air pockets and insure effective attachment of the entire area of the tape to the surfaces on which it is applied; and to provide an arrangement whereby undesirable adhesion of the tape to the device itself is prevented so as to insure instant operability of the device at all times.

In general, it is the object of the invention to provide a device of the character indicated which will be efflcient, durable and trouble-free in operation, and in which the tape supply may be easily and quickly renewed when required. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (two sheets) wherein there is disclosed a tape sealing device embodying a selected embodiment of the invention together with the manner of using the device. I 4

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a section on a vertical plane through the device.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan as represented by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective illustrating the manner of using the device.

Figure 5 is a side elevation further illustrating the manner of using the device, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating certain modified details of construction.

Referring now to the drawings, the device therein shown embodies a main housing 10 comprising sides I l and I2, a bottom l3 which extends rearwardly and upwardly to form a cylindrical rear wall It, and a cover 15 which is hingedly connected at It to the upper edge of the rear'wall H. The housing I 0 may be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal. It is preferably finished both on the inside and outside by painting or otherwise so as to provide a neat and attractive appearance and also to protect the housing against corrosion when made of metal. It will be apparent that the side walls, bottom, and rear wall of the housing may be made of one piece of metal. The side walls II and [2 are bent upwardly from the bottom wall, and the rear ends of the side wall are cut to fit the cylindrical form of the rear wall, the rear edges of the side wall being rigidly connected to the rear wall by welding, soldering, or by. means of corner brackets or braces such as indicated at H, which may be suitably secured to the parts.

The cover is preferably provided with suitable longitudinally extending stiffening ribs [8 pressed thereinto, and the side edges of the cover are rebent'so as to provide inwardly facing channels Iii-l9 at opposite sides as best shown in Figure 3. The channel edge structure of the cover serves to stiffen the same and also provides ledges at opposite sides to facilitate gripping and bandling of the device. The cover may be releasably locked in closed position by means of spring locks 20-20 secured to the inside of the respective side walls and provided with outwardly turned end portions 2| which are adapted to project into the channels I9-l9 at the sides of the cover. The locking springs 20 may be displaced inwardly by pressing on buttons 22 which is carried through the moistening device 23 and emerges from one end of the device under a resilient rubber roller 26.

The roller 26 is rotatably mounted in side portions of a hood element 21, which is hinged as indicated at 23 to the adjacent end of the cover IS. A suitable leaf spring 23, herein shown as of two ply construction, has one end anchored by riveting or otherwise, as shown at 30, to the cover, and its other end engaged with the outside of the hood 21. Said spring 28 serves to yieldingly resist movement of the hood 21 and roller 26 about the axis 01 the hinge 28. In Figure 1, the roller 26 and hood 21 are shown in a slightly upwardly displaced position, which is a normal operating position, but it will be understood that when the device is idle, the spring 29 will hold the roller 26 with its lower surface portion somewhat below the plane of the bottom I3 of the housing.

The moistening device 23 is preferably made of copper or equivalent sheet metal so as to be non-breakable and so as to resist corrosion incident to the employment of water for moistening the tape, and also so as to resist any corrosive effect which may result from the ingredients of the adhesive present on the tape 25. The moistening device 23 embodies a hollow receptacle having a rear portion 3! of substantial front-torear and vertical dimensions as shown in Figure l, the side-to-side dimension being such that the device will fit freely within the housing ID. The forward portion 32 of the moistening device is formed so as to be relatively shallow, the forward top wall portion 33 being suitably shaped to provide, outwardly thereof, a space between the sides of the device for housing a moistening roll 34 and a guide roll 35. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the side walls 36 and 31 of the moistening device are provided with notches such as indicated at 38 for removably receiving the projecting end portions of a shaft 39 of the moistening roll 34. Said side walls are also provided with suitably reinforced bearing openings 40 for rotatably upporting the guide roll 35.

The moistening r011 34 may be made of any suitable moisture absorbent material. pne efficient form of construction is of synthetic, fine grain, sponge-like material which has a high capacity for moisture absorption and which is of sponge-like character except that it is of very small grain or cellular construction. Other materials, such as felt and the like, may of course be employed.

When the roller is made of synthetic sponge material such as referred to, the roller is preferably made of a plurality of coaxially disposed sections 34a arranged side by side with intervening coaxial discs 4!. The outside diameter of the discs H is preferably somewhat less than that of the roller sections and said discs, being formed of relatively stiff material which is not softened by water, serve the purpose of preventing flattening or collapsing of the roller by the tape strip. Rotation of the moistening roll 34 incident to movement of the tape strip over the surface of the roller is thereby insured even though the water absorbent sections, when wet, are so softened that they would be flattened by the pressure of the tapethereon and would not, in the absence of said discs, rotate satisfactorily. By employing the synthetic sponge material mentioned, there is no tendency for the moistened-tape to stick to the roll even after the device stands idle for a considerable length of time. This is probably due to the small cellular structure of the sponge-like material which, in the main, presents a multiplicity of very thin edges for contacting with the adhesive bearing side of the tape strip. At the ends of the roll there are provided end discs 42 of relatively rigid, non-absorbent material. These discs are somewhat larger in diameter thanthe normal outside diameter of the roll and constitute guides for the side edges of the [tape strip. The shaft or spindle 39 of the roll may advantageously consist of a length of copper tubing or other non-rusting material.

The guide roll 35 may be of wood or other suitable non-rusting material, and it may be rotatably supported in the bearings 4040 by suitable end shafts here shown as being in the form of brass screws driven into the ends of the roll 35, the head portions of the screws fitting freely in the bearing opening 40 so that the guide roll is freely rotatable.

The top wall of the rear portion 3| of the moistening device is provided with a filling opening 43 which may be closed by a removable cork 44 of rubber or other suitable material so as to provide an air-tight seal for said opening. The moistening device is filled with water and the cork inserted in the opening. Water is delivered from the device to the moistening roll 34 through a small opening 45 provided in the concave forward top wall portion 33 which underlies said roll 34. It will be apparent that water will not normally flow out through said opening 45 inasmuch as the rear chamber portion of the device is so sealed that air cannot enter to permit such flow. However, by applying pressure to the bottom wall 46 of the moistening device, a small amount of water will be, in effect, pumped out of the chamber and directed in a stream against the roll 34. Only a very small quantity of water will accumulate in the well formed by the concave front top wall portion 33 under the roller 34, and such water as does collect will usually be picked up by the roller 34 so as to leave the said well substantially dry.

For pumping water out of the receptacle and into the well or against the roll 34, a resilient leaf spring 41 is secured at one end as shown at 48 to the bottom wall I3 of the housing. The spring 41 is bowed downwardly and projects out from the bottom wall of the housing, and has its front end in sliding contact with the bottom wall 46 of the moistening device. A wear plate 49 may advantageously be provided on the bottom of the moistening device to protect the same against wear incident to the engagement therewith of the free end of the spring 41.

In Figure 1, the spring 41 is illustrated in an upwardly pressed condition in which its free end has pressed the bottom 46 of the moistening device upwardly to eifect the discharge of a small quantity of moisture against the roll 34. In using the device, sufficient pressure is ordinarily employed to hold the spring 41 in said upwardly pressed position and the pressure roller 26 in the position illustrated against the pressure of the spring 29. Upward displacement of the moistening device incident to the upward pressure of the spring 41 may occur to some extent. However, the resistance of the tape to such upward displacement, the weight of the moistening device structure and its water content together with the flexibility of the bottom 46 of the device, cooperate to insure upward flexing of the bottom 46 sufliciently to effect the water pumping action described, notwithstanding said possible upward displacement of the moistening unit. When a tape applying operation has been completed, the device is lifted from the surface of the carton and the spring 41 is then permitted to return to its normal, downwardly offset position, thereby relieving the bottom 4| of the moistening unit from pressure and permitting it to also return to its normal position. Such return of the bottom 40 to normal position serves to cause any water collected in the well under the roller 34 to be sucked into the moistening device so that there will be no considerable amount of free water remainin in said well.

The front end of the moistening device is provided with a rounded wall part 50 which also constitutes a guide for the paper tape. Said rounded wall part 50 is preferably provided with a series of outwardly projecting bosses or knobs 5| which are engaged by the adhesive surface of the tape and thereby serve to prevent contacting of said adhesive surface with any considerable area of the front wall .50. Said knobs 5| thus serve to prevent sticking of the tape to said front wall guide portion of the moistening device and also serve to eliminate any tendency to scrape the adhesive from the surface of the tape. The knobs or bosses 5| may, of course, be in the form of a plurality of relatively narrow, transversely spaced ribs if preferred.

The roll 24 of tape is disposed in the rear portion of the device and is confined between the more or less cylindrical rear wall portion of the housing and an arcuate rear wall portion 52 of the moistening device. The tape 25 is led from the roll 24 over a ledge-like part 53 of the top wall of the moistening device which is suitably formed to constitute a smooth surfaced guide for the tape. From said ledge part 53. the tape is carried under the guide roll and then over the moistening roll 34, over the guide wall and knobs 5i thereon and under the pressure roll 25.

As shown, the front end of the housing is open between its side walls to permit passage of the tape outwardly as stated, the front end of the bottom wall l3 of the housing being preferably turned up slightly and hemmed as indicated at 54. The up-turned hemmed edge 54 of the bottom wall serves to prevent outward displacement of the moistening device when the tape is being pulled outwardly.

The preferred method of using the device for sealing a carton is to first place the device with its pressure roller 26 adjacent one edge of the surface across which the tape is to be applied. A small length of tape, say two to three inches, is manually pulled from the taping device and manually pressed downwardly and against the end of the carton as indicated at 55 in Figure 4. Then the device is drawn across the surface on which the tape is to be applied. The roller 25 presses the tape into intimate contact with the surfaces of the carton top flaps such as represented at 56 and 5'! so as to effectively seal the joint therebetween and to lock the same together against opening. The sealing operation is preferably finished by continuing the movement of the device downwardly across the opposite end .of the carton, as represented in Figure 5, so as to continue the tape for a suitable length down, wardly over the end of the carton. When the desired length of tape has been applied to the end of the carton, the sharp-toothed end 58 of the hood 2! is brought into engagement with'the tape, whereupon a, slight twisting of the device will cause the said sharp-toothed end to cut the tape so as to free the tape strip applied to the package from the supply of tape in the device.

As shown in Figure 5, the pressure roll 26 and hood 2? are displaced upwardly against the pressure of the spring 29 to a much greater extent than is indicated in Figure 1. The hinged resilient mounting of the pressure roll and hood facilitates the application of an end portion of the tape to an end of the carton, especially where the carton is of a relatively shallow depth. .When the carton is of a depth perhaps less, or at least not greatly exceeding the length of the tape applying device, it would not be possible to continue the tape applyingoperation down the endwall while maintaining the relationship of the pressure roller to the housing as shown in Figure 4. The hinged mounting of the pressure roll permits the housing t be carried out in a more or less horizontal position while moving the pressure roll downwardly across the end of the carton as shown in Figure 5. The hood 21 is provided with an extension 59 which is adapted to hold the tape strip in contact with the moistening roll 34 when the pressure roller 26 is upwardly offset as shown in Figure 5. The extension 59 may also serve, by engagement with the inside of the cover I 5, to limit movement of the hood 2'! under the influence of the spring 29.

spilling of any free water in the well beneath the moistening roll 34, when the sealer is tilted toward a vertical position, is prevented by the receptacles formed by the ledge 53 and guide 50 at the rear and front ends of the moistening device.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spring member 41 is so positioned that one of its edges is substantially midway between the opposite sides of the device. The purpose of so locating the spring 41 is to facilitate the employment of the spring as a guide, particularly when a strip of tape is to be applied along a corner. In such a case it is desirable that one-half the width of the tape be applied to one wall of a carton. The remainin one-half of the width of the tape is thereafter manually folded downwardly and pressed into adhesive contact with the other wall. By positioning the one edge of the spring 41 against one side" wall of a carton, the device may be guided along that side wall so as to accurately locate one-half the width of the tape strip on the other side wall.

In Figure 6 there is illustrated a modified construction of the moistening unit. As there shown,

- the knobs 5la on the front guide wall portion 50 are disposed in rows whichextend diagonally'of the direction in which the tape strip is drawn. Such diagonal disposition of the knobs may be advantageous in some instances in that they may have less tendency than the longitudinal rib-like arrangement of Figure 2 to pres a groove into the tape strip or to cause arching of the tape strip between the adjacent series of bosses. Also, the water discharge opening 45 is provided in a downwardly pressed, cup-like formation 60. Said cup-like formation serves to accumulate a small quantity of water over the opening 45 to thereby insure sealing of said opening so as to prevent the drawing of air into the container so long as any free water remains in the well formedby the arched wall portion 33.

The described device is completely portable and may be used in practically all places where adhesive tape is to be applied. The principal use of the device is probably in connection with the sealing of shipping cartons, but other uses for the device in connection with adhesively coated paper, cloth or other tape will be apparent and will appear from time to time.

The conventional manner of applying tape as heretofore practiced embodied the use of a tape roll holder from which the desired length of tape could be drawn by hand, the tape being moistened incident to its withdrawal from such device. The entire length of moistened tape then had to be carried to the point of application, during which it often happened that the tape would twist or fold on itself and many times become so badly stuck to itself in various haphazard folds that the entire length of tape had to be discarded. Such loss of tape, together with the accompanying loss of time, is effectively avoided by the use of the above described tape sealing device.

Changes in the described structure may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as explained in the illustrated and described embodiment. The following claims are intended to be applicable to such principles rather than only to the specific details illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a. moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, said moistening device embodying a water container having a storage chamber and a discharge chamber and provided with a filling opening, means for closing said filling opening, said discharge chamber having a wall portion disposed in a plane materially below the upper portion of said discharge chamber, an absorbent moistening roll rotatably mounted in said device above said wall portion, said wall portion being provided with an outlet opening for discharging water to wet said mois- I tening roll, the discharge of water being restricted as an incident to the control of air admitted to said chamber through said outlet opening as effected by the water contained in the device wherein said water container embodies a flexible wall portion and wherein there is provided means for pressing such flexible wall portion inwardly to thereby forcibly expel a limited quantity of water through the discharge opening.

2. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, said moistening device embodying a water container having a storage chamber and a discharge chamber and provided with a filling opening, means for closing said filling opening, said discharge chamber having a wall portion disposed in a plane materially below the upper portion of said discharge chamber, an absorbent moistening roll rotatably mounted in said device above said wall portion, said wall portion being provided with an outlet opening for discharging water to wet said moistening roll, the discharge of water being restricted as an incident to the control of air admitted to said chamber through said outlet opening as effected by the water contained in the device wherein said water container embodies a flexible wall portion and wherein there is provided means operable as an incident to the pressure of the sealer against the surface on which the tape is to be applied for pressing such flexible wall portion inwardly to thereby forcibly expel a limited quantity of water through the discharge opening. 7 p

3. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, said moistening device embodying a water container having a storage chamber and a discharge chamber and provided with a filling opening, means for closin aid filling opening, said discharge chamber having a wall portion disposed in a plane materially below the upper portion of said discharge chamber, an absorbent moistening roll rotatably mounted in said device above said wall portion, said wall portion being provided with an outlet opening for discharging water to wet said moistening roll, the discharge of water being restricted as an incident to the control of air admitted to said chamber through said outlet opening as effected by the water contained in the device wherein said water container embodies a flexible wall portion and wherein there is provided means operable as an incident to the pressure of the sealer against the surface on which the tape is to be applied for pressing such flexible wall portion inwardly to thereby forcibly expel a limited quantity of water through the discharge opening, and wherein said means constitutes also a guide projecting from the housing of the sealer for guiding the movement of the latter along a selected edge of the object to which the tape is to be applied.

4. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, and tape guiding means engaging the adhesive side of the tape intermediate said moistening device and said pressure roll, said guiding means embodying a plurality of small-area surface portions engaged by the adhesive side of the tape to prevent sticking of the tape to said guiding means.

5. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, said moistening device embodying a water container having a storage chamber and a discharge chamber and provided with a fillin opening, means for closing said filling opening, said discharge chamber having a wall portion disposed in a plane materially below the upper portion of said discharge chamber, an absorbent moistening roll rotatably mounted in said device above said wall portion, said wall portion being provided with an outlet opening for discharging water to wet said moistening roll, the discharge of water being restricted as an incident to the control of air admitted to said chamber through said outlet opening as effected by the water contained in the device wherein said moistening device is provided with a well into which the water is dis charged and wherein the device is also provided on opposite sides of said well with receptacles respectively facing the well for trapping any free water remaining in said well in the event that toward the front wall, said front wall extending upwardly from said bottom wall and terminating in spaced relation to said cover, thereby providing an outlet opening at the front end of the housing, a unitary moistening device removably positioned in the front end portion of said housing' and having a rear wall cooperating with said housing rear wall to position a roll of adhesive tape in the housing, an absorbent tape moistening roll carried by said moistening device, means also carried by said device for guiding a tape strip drawn from said supply 'roll into contact with said moistening roll, and a pressure roll mounted on the front end of said housing for cooperating with said guiding means to hold the tape strip in contact with said moistening roll and for pressing the moistened tape, when drawn from the housing, into contact with the surface to which the tape is to be applied.

7. A tape sealer comprising a housing having bottom, side, front and rear walls and an openable cover for closing said housing, the rear wall of said housing being of approximately semicylindrical, outwardly convexed shape, the sides of the housing being of gradually reduced width toward the front wall, said front wall extending upwardly from said bottom wall and terminating in spaced relation to said cover, thereby providing an outletopening at the front end of the housing, a unitary moistening device removably positioned in the front end portion of said housing and having a rear wall cooperating with said housing rear wall to position a roll of adhesive tape in the housing, an absorbent tape moistening roll carried by said moistening de-' vice, means also carried by said device for guiding a tape strip drawn from said supply roll into contact with said moistening roll, a pressure roll mounted on the front end of said housing for cooperating with said guiding means to hold the tape strip in contact with said moistening roll and for pressing the moistened tape, when drawn from the housing, into contact with the surface to which the tape is to be applied, said pressure roll being hingedly mounted on said housing, and means for resiliently holding the pressure roll in predetermined position.

8. In a tape sealer of the character described, a moistening roll comprising a shaft, a plurality of co-axially aligned cylindrical roll sections mounted on said shaft, said roll sections being of absorbent material which is easily compressible when wet, and separating discs between said sections, each of said discs being of slightly smaller diameter than the normal diameter of said roll sections, said separating discs being of relatively rigid material and serving to prevent excessive compression of said roll sections by tape drawn across the surface thereof.

9. In a tape sealer of the character described, a moistening roll comprising a shaft, a plurality of coaxially aligned cylindrical roll sections mounted on said shaft, said roll section being 'of absorbent material which is easily compressible when wet, separating discs between said sections, each of said discs being of slightly smaller diameter than the normal diameter of said roll sections, said separating discs being of relatively rigid material and serving to prevent excessive compression of said roll sections by tape drawn across the surface thereof, and end discs of relatively rigid material and of larger diameter than said roll sections, said end discs constituting tape guide flanges at the ends of said roll.

10. A tape sealer of the class described embodying a moistening device comprising a water storage chamber and a water discharge chamber, and wherein the top wall of the discharge chamber is so shaped as to form a well or housing a moistening roll, said top wall being provided with a water discharge opening arranged to direct the water discharged therethrough against a moistening roll disposed in said well, said top wall being also provided with a relatively small recess around said discharge opening for collecting any free water remaining in said well.

11. A portable tape sealer having means for supporting a tape supply roll, means for moistening a strip of tape incident to withdrawal mounted on the sealer, a roller mounted in said hood, means for resiliently holding said hood and roller in predetermined position, said hood being provided with tape severin means for separating the tape supply of the sealer from the tape strip drawn therefrom.

12. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape and an end portion from which the tape may issue from the housing, a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing adjacent the tape issuing end thereof for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, and means carried by said housing beyond said pressure roll for severing a length of tape drawn out of the housing, from the tape supply remain- I ing in the housing.

13. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape and an end portion from which the tape may issue from the housing. a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing adjacent the tape issuing end thereof for pressing moistened tape drawn from said housing against a surface to which the tape is to be attached, and means carried by said housing beyond said pressure roll for severing a length of tape drawn out of the housing, from the tape supply remainin in the housing, said severing means being secured to said housing in normally fixed position relative thereto, and being operative to sever the tape as an incident to movement of the sealer in its entirety in a direction transverse of the direction in which it is moved for tape applying purposes.

14. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, and means carried by said housing for pressing moistened tape drawn from said-housing against a surface to which the tape is to b attached, said moistening device embodying a liquid storage chamber which is normally closed above the minimum operative level of liquid stored therein, a receptacle at one side of said storage chamber, said storage chamher having an opening communicating with said receptacle adjacent the bottom'thereof, tape engaging means mounted in said receptacle and operative to carry liquid from said receptacle to the tape.

15. A tape sealer comprising a housing having a portion formed to house a roll of tape, a moistening device in said housing, and a pressure roll carried by said housing for pressing moistened mounted in said device above said wall portion, said wall portion being provided with an outlet opening for discharging water to wet said mois- .c

tening roll, the discharge of water being restricted as an incident to the control of air ad mitted to said chamber through said outlet opening as effected by the water contained in the device.

. JOHN OFI'EDAHL.

EVERETT J. OF'I'EDAm. 

